A visit to Nelluvaya Dhanvantari temple
An annual ritual of Wadakkancheri family is a visit to Nelluvaya temple. Achamma had offered a prayer to Lord Dhanvantari with a pot of pal payasam (Rice kheer) for every year since one of my uncles got an admission in a medical college. The tradition continues to be carried out by the family even after Achama's time. Lord Dhanvantari is considered as God of medicine in Hindu mythology. Lord is a manifestation of Lord Vishnu and is believed to appear with a pot of "nectar of immortality" after the milk ocean churn episode. Doctors especially of the Ayurveda variant worship the Lord to seek his blessings to excel in their profession. People also worship the lord to get rid of diseases affecting them. Nelluvaya Dhanvantari temple is one of the few Dhanvantari temples that exists in the world. A famous prasadam of the temple is "Mukkudi" which is an ayurvedic medicinal prasadam. Refer - http://temples.in3ator.com/temples/643/nelluvai-dhanwanthari-temple/ Th...